MK577 BILLION CASHGATE REPORT CAUSE DIVISIONS IN PARLIAMENT

Parliamentary debate on Wednesday came to a standstill in the capital Lilongwe following the pressure from opposition members of Parliament asking the Speaker to allow them debate on MK577 billion cashgate report which is yet to be made public.

The whole issue started after Minister of Finance and Economic Development Goodall Gondwe presented a report containing replies to cashgate queries raised by opposition MPs who were demanding updates on the cashgate cases.

Making his contribution on the issue, opposition People’s Party (PP) leader Uladi Mussa asked the Speaker to amend the standing orders to allow them debate on the MK577 billion plunder of public funds, saying it’s of national importance.

This was concurred by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Spokesperson Jessie Kabwila who accused the Cabinet of playing double standard on the reports since some of the Ministers are implicated on the report.

The August House nearly turned to the battle field when government Chief Whip Francis Kasaila stood up to blast the claims as oppositions MPs started shouting.

It took the intervention of the Speaker Richard Msowoya to calm down the temper.

Msowoya urged the MPs from both sides of the house to stop making provocative remarks when making contribution.